The North Bexhill Access Road is the latest and final piece in a regional infrastructure improvement programme on the south coast of England. CampbellReith was appointed as project designer and lead environmental consultant to deliver the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

A 2.4km road scheme linking the new Bexhill-Hastings Link Road (BHLR) in the east with the A269 in the north, the scheme improves accessibility both locally, and at a regional level. It also provides critical access for new land allocated for development under the Local Plan seen as critical for local growth and development.

Located on greenfield land, the scheme required a considerable environmental design input. This was achieved using a Strategic Environmental Design Appraisal that identified key receptors and likely impacts. These were then ameliorated over a series of design reviews.

The resulting design used the rolling landscape in the area to effectively shield the road, reducing visual impact. Use of considered planting and landforms reduced the impact further.

A full EIA was undertaken for the scheme, which identified benefits in traffic flows in the local settlements, with associated improvements in local air quality and noise levels. A Sustainable Urban Drainage Scheme allied with flood attenuation also provided the opportunity for ecological enhancements.

Additional enhancement was also achieved by linking the ecological mitigation with that planned for the BHLR to create a single, continuous new habitat, rather than the existing fragmented one.

GIS was used to map the various constraints in an area of land and help identify the best route for a new road with least impact on the surrounding area.

This project has been recognised as a strategic link to Kent with the Brassey Award (Kent and East Sussex) for Engineering Excellence at the ICE South East Awards 2017.